Connector for toy construction members



Get. 20, 1953 o. w. AbAMs CONNECTOR FOR TOY fionsaaumou MEMBERS Filed June 1?, 1952 .Dale W. A dams )z wmfimzm 0mm Patented Oct. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Dale W. Adams, St. Francis, Kans.

Application June 17, 1952, Serial No. 293,913

3 Claims. i

This invention relates to construction toys, and more particularly, has reference to a connector adapted for joining together a pair of construction members used in the erection of a miniature building or other structure.

Usually, toy construction sets are provided with screws and nuts in substantial quantity, these being used for joining together the several construction members. In this connection, the insertion of screws through registering openings of the construction members, and the application of nuts to the screws after said insertion, is a rather laborious process, and consumes an excessive amount of time.

Accordingly, the main object of the invention is to provide a dog or connector that can be used to separably but firmly join together meeting construction members, merely by insertion of a pin formed on said dog through the registering openings of the members, and swinging of the dog or connector through a relatively short are.

Another important object is to provide a dog or connector as described that can be used with conventionally designed toy construction members already in use, said members usually being of fiat formation and being provided, in each instance, with a longitudinal series of apertures.

Yet another object of importance is to provide a device of the type stated which, after it has been swung to an operative position in which it connects meeting construction members, will be substantially concealed, due to its movement into a position in which it is in full alignment with one of said members.

Yet another object of importance is to provide construction set dog or connector which can be swung to an inoperative, member-disengaging position with maximum speed and ease.

Yet another object of importance is to provide a construction set dog or connector which can be formed at a low cost, and which can be used for a long period of time, due to its rugged construction.

A further important object is to provide a connector so designed as to cause the members joined thereby to be urged into binding engagement with one another, thus to tighten the connection and assure a more sturdy structure.

Summarized briefly, the invention comprises an elongated plate, said plate including a fiat body and an extension on one end of the body that is disposed in obtuse relation to the body. The extension is provided with a connecting pin that is extendible through registering apertures of a pair of toy construction members to be joined, the body having a clamp that will engage one of said members when the plate is pivoted about the connecting pin. Due to the angular relation of the extension and body, the members to be joined are urged toward one another during the connecting operation, thus to assure a tighter connection.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a construction set dog or connector formed in accordance With the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a pair of connected construction members, the dog or connector being illustrated in its operative position;

Figure 3 is an enlarged edge elevational view of the connector, a construction member with which said connector is associated being illustrated fragmentarily;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of the connector as it appears when in its inoperative position, the construction members being illustrated fragmentarily and in front elevation;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional View, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a perspective form of connector.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the dog or connector formed in accordance with the present invention has been designated generally by the reference numeral i0, and includes an elongated resilient plate, that comprises a fiat, elongated body l2 rigid adjacent one end thereof With a laterally projected handle It. The plate further includes a fiat, relatively short extension is on one end of the body, said extension being integral or otherwise made rigid with a laterally projected connecting pin l8. The connecting pin it is arranged normally to the plane of the extension i6, and the extension I6 is disposed at an obtuse angle to the plane of the body 12.

As will be noted, the connecting pin projects in a direction opposite from that in which the handle it is projected, for a purpose to be made apparent, and it will be further noted that at its free end, the connecting pin I3 is formed with a kerf 29. The kerf 20 has no particular function in the device, except to provide the appearview of a modified body face to face with a first toy construction member, said clamp being so arranged upon said body as to align the same longitudinally with said first member in secured relation; and a pin normal to the plane of said extension and projecting outwardly from the face of said extension on the obtuse angle side in spaced relation to the clamp, for disposition of the pin through registering apertures of a second toy construction member and said first member to connect the same, the pin forming a pivot about which said plate is swingable into clamping engagement with the first member, and said angularly related extension and body being adapted to urge the respective members toward one another responsive to pivotal movement of the plate into clamping engagement with the first member.

3. A connector for toy elongated construction members having registrable openings, comprising a resilient plate, said plate including an elongated, fiat body and a flat extension on one end of and arranged at an obtuse angle to the plane of said body; a handle secured to the body adjacent the other end thereof; a laterally open clamp secured to the body intermediate the ends thereof and proportioned to secure the body face to face with a first toy construction member, said clamp being so arranged upon the body as 6 to align the same longitudinally with said first member in secured relation, the clamp comprising a piece of spring material secured at one end to one longitudinal edge of said body and extending transversely of the body toward the opposite longitudinal edge thereof; and a pin normal to the plane of said extension and projecting outwardly from the face of said extension on the obtuse angle side in spaced relation to the clamp, for disposition of the pin through registering apertures of a second toy construction member and said first member to connect the same, the pin forming a pivot about which said plate is swingable into clamping engagement with the first member by a user grasping said handle, and said angularly related extension and body being adapted to urge the respective members toward one another, responsive to pivotal movement of the plate into clamping engagement with the first member.

DALE W. ADAMS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,252,781 Clark Jan. 8, 1918 1,292,509 Patterson Jan. 28, 1919 

